10 Reasons Maniac Is The Best Netflix Original Series Since Stranger Things
The Emma Stone & Jonah Hill series is one of Netflix's best.
Netflix Originals may have started getting a more hit-or-miss reputation due to the company's heavily-increased content production, but people seem to forget that when Netflix makes a hit, they knock it out of the park.
Stranger Things, easily their greatest accomplishment, effectively combined the familiar with the boldly different, giving people of all ages a show that provides something fresh while still making it feel familiar. Other Netflix-exclusive shows were also big hits with audiences, but none of them really matched Stranger Things' quality. That is, until Maniac came around.
With such superb talent in its cast and the sheer artistry brought on from show-runner Patrick Somerville and True Detective's Cary Fukunaga, the series is one of Netflix's very best. These two work to provide Maniac with a cinematic feel that elevates every component to make the show stand out among Netflix's other Originals.
Maniac holds itself up with the pop culture superstar Stranger Things because it provides viewers with an experience that no other show can offer (even if Maniac arguably has more originality going for it). And with the recent news that this will be the only season, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
10. Concise Season Length With No Filler
The saying "less is more" doesn't always stick around in Netflix's mind. Too many of their exclusives end up overstaying their welcome, hurting the show's overall quality. Thankfully, taking another page from Stranger Things' book, Maniac condenses its season into eight sub-50 minute episodes, and it serves the show perfectly.
Maniac's writers and editors clearly were careful when deciding run times as well, with most episodes even dipping below 40 minutes (typically on the episodes that focus primarily on Stone or Hill's character). While it does unfortunately mean less time spent in this interesting world, it adds an impressive balance to episodes so they never dip too far in any single direction. No "exposition" episode or a super crazy finale that completely contrasts from an uneventful. Careful, satisfying balance.
This is another satisfying component that further reinforces how much freedom the creatives had in creating their vision. No unnecessarily-stretched plot points, no multi-episode drags to sustain a long season/runtime, just pure quality content.